Today’s Signs of Nascent Fascism

Following up on yesterday’s commentary on fascism, I present the following roundup of news sources pertaining to the issue. I would also like to direct my readers to Klintron’s blog Mutate!, which also has a follow-up. If you ever needed clear signs that elements of the ruling elite are moving America toward fascism- real fascism as a mass political movement aimed at the working class, foreigners, Blacks, and anyone else who gets in their way makes a convenient scapegoat- here they are.

Michael Savage made an impassioned appeal to disaffected white men, urging them- using coded language of course- to tap into the power of their race and smash Muslims and Mexicans. The language here isn’t shocking, but it is scandalous. I cannot think of another more transparent appeal for fascist mobs to begin roaming the country and putting people in their place. Listen very closely to the language which Mr. Savage uses… though I suspect you won’t have to. The rhetoric is becoming that transparent.

Then there’s this article about the banning of phosphates in Washington State, which posits the query “At What Point Do People Revolt?” This article is particularly interesting, as it shows the way in which American fascism will come cloaked in all the symbolism that Americans love best. If you’re thinking fascism in America and conjuring up images of bizarre Nordic race theory and swastikas, you don’t really understand the nationalist quality of fascism, or its adaptability, or the very real purpose that it serves for the ruling class. American fascism will use the most cherished symbols of everything positive about America- and grotesquely pervert them.

To whit: “Were I in Washington State, I’d be cleaning my gun right about now waiting to protect my property from the coming riots or the government apparatchiks coming to enforce nonsensical legislation.” Nothing quite so All-American as “Git off mah land!”

Then there’s the Op-Ed piece from Thomas Friedman, discussing how the current political climate in America is strikingly similar to that in Israel before Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. The GOP’s resident thing-I-can’t-call-him-because-I’m-white chimed in to say what his white masters told him to. I’m rather curious what place Blacks will have in the coming American fascist movement, and Michael Steele gives us a flavor of how the fascist movement will find a place for (upper middle class, Christian) Black men. At least those what don’t get too “uppity.”

Chuck Norris further articulates the All-American, “Constitutionalist” rhetoric that characterizes the nascent American fascist movement. What’s more All-American than the Constitution and revolution? Few events in American history are more intimately bound up with the national identity than the Revolution of 1776… but you’ll notice that almost no one invokes the correct side of the Second American Revolution, another strand of this bizarre, everything and the kitchen sink too movement which is worthy of notice.

Fascistic news outlet Newsmax had one of its columnists openly calling for a right-wing, military coup against Barack Obama that would keep him in place as a figurehead. The article was quickly pulled by the website. This was the same week that fascist radio talk show host Jim Quinn addressed the American military by saying Obama “is going to get you killed.” Imagine what would have happened had an liberal inside the establishment had called for a military coup to prevent the Cheney-Bush Junta from invading Iraq. Now imagine how unthinkable any of this would have been ten years ago.

Did I mention that the Grand Old Man of American Letters, Gore Vidal thinks that America is headed toward a dictatorship? Remember the example of Chile in the 70s. It’s true that America is not Chile and Obama is by no means Allende. But Allende is illustrative because it shows what happens when a certain sweet spot is hit. Obama is (like Allende) a politician that sufficiently spooks the ultra-right by not kicking at the proles hard enough during a time of crisis. Conversely, he is not real and meaningful change, is totally beholden to corporate interests seeking to smash popular resistance, and will do nothing meaningful to resist a fascist or military takeover of the United States. The dangers of such a takeover are very real, and the 2010 mid-term elections should be watched very closely.

Finally, while it may not seem related, Michael Moore’s recent statement that he “admires” the ultra-right is troubling. Not because I am suggesting that Michael Moore is promoting a right-wing agenda. Rather, Mr. Moore highlights a problem with relying upon the liberal left to defend you against fascism. Namely that they won’t do it. And when they don’t, masses of working people are going to flock to fascists, because at least they’ve got stones. When liberals fail to fight for working class Americans, when they smear all criticism as coming from the right, when they placate and accommodate the right wing at every turn, working class Americans (who are no dummies) begin asking themselves “Well why the hell don’t we just vote for the fascists? After all they have some wonderful rhetoric about fighting banks… and those liberals just never fight for us.” This type of thinking will become increasingly attractive to broad layers of working class and poor people as the liberals show time after time that they are incapable of sticking up for us.